Survey finds B’luru airport best in India for second consecutive year

This is the fourth time Kempegowda International Airport has been adjudged the best in the country by Skytrax.

The Kempegowda International Airport won an international award for being the best in India and Central Asia under the regional category, said its operator on Thursday.

“The Kempegowda International Airport was given the Skytrax Award for being voted as the best regional airport in India and Central Asia by air travellers at the World Airport Awards in Stockholm in Sweden on Wednesday,” said Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) in a statement here.

As the country’s third busiest airport after Mumbai and Delhi, the airport at Devanahalli on the city’s northern outskirts won the award for the second consecutive year, and two times in 2015 and 2011.

“The award reaffirms our commitment to provide a world-class experience for travellers at the airport,” said BIAL Chief Executive Hari Marar on the occasion.

The Skytrax Awards is the largest passenger satisfaction assessment and one of the most prestigious surveys measuring airport service excellence and quality.

The winners were declared based on 13.73 million questionnaires from 500 airports worldwide, surveyed between August 2017 and February 2018.

A key directive of the survey is for passengers to make their choices as to which airport they consider the best.

‘Regional Airports’ refers to those operating short international and domestic flights, than having a vast intercontinental network.

About 250 lakh passengers used the decade-old airport in calendar year 2017, up 13 per cent from 2016.

Nearly 45 Indian and international airlines operate services, connecting 62 cities across the country and overseas.

In 2017, it handled a record 250 lakh passengers. “Bengaluru airport clocked 25 million passengers in the calendar year 2017, registering 13% annual growth, while air traffic grew 4.3%,” said BIAL in a statement.

“The airport also had the highest number – 87,815 – of passengers on December 23 landing or taking off on a single day, with record 603 air traffic movements in 24 hours,” it added.

BIAL is a consortium of public and private investors, including the central and state governments.